Flamingos

Both species found in southern Africa, the greater (Phoenicopterus ruber) and lesser (P. minor), descend on the Namibian coast in the dry season. They leave the coastal wetlands to breed in the interior in the rainy season. Greater and lesser flamingos both breed on the Etosha Pan in Namibia, while the former also breed on the Makgadikgadi Pan in Botswana. They usually migrate at night and fly in a long skein or in V formation.

Their neck and legs are extraordinarily long. They are built to wade, but their toes are webbed. They hold their head upside down when they feed in order to filter out microscopic titbits. Their bill is heavy and bent at an angle in the middle. All in all they are a family of distinctive parts, the Phoenicopteridae, but their common name notes only the colour of their plumage. Mainly pink or scarlet, flamingos got their name from the Spanish flamengo -- an earlier form of flamenco -- derived from the Latin word for a flame. Flamingos are gregarious birds that breed and feed together in huge flocks. Size and colour distinguish the two species from one another.

Greater flamingos are about 130cm long with a wingspan of 175cm, compared to about 100cm and 125cm respectively for the lesser. With their necks and legs outstretched, both species look much longer in flight, shaped rather like Concorde aircraft.

Greater flamingos are a pale pink or even white, with crimson underwings, while lesser flamingos are a deep pink, with much redder wings. The colour of their bills also differs. It is pink with a black tip in the greater and dark red in the lesser.

The colour differences are attributed to diet. Greater flamingos eat mainly animal matter such as larvae and small molluscs, while lesser flamingos prefer vegetable matter such as blue-green algae and diatoms. The former feeds from the bottom and the latter from the surface. They wade and swim as they feed.

Lodges and Camps in Namibia: Beach Lodge - Casa Piccolo - Mahangu Safari Lodge - Mazambala - Oase Guest House - Phantom Farmhouse - The Desert Homestead

Botswana Destinations: Chobe National Park

Zimbabwe Destinations: Victoria Falls

Mammals of Namibia: African Wild Dog - African Elephant - Cheetah - Giraffe - Hartebeest - Hippo - Leopard - Lion - Red Lechwe - Roan Antelope - Sitatunga -Spotted Hyena - Springbok - Wildebeest - Zebra

Birds of Namibia: Blue Waxbill - Cormorants - Crowned Plover - Darter - Egyptian Goose - Fish Eagle - Flamingos - Grey Lourie - Kingfisher - Kori Bustard - Ostrich - Saddlebilled Stork - Secretary Bird